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All Rise...

Appellate Judge Tom Becker thinks the world's a slightly better place now that this exceptional film is getting its due.

The Charge

Man, I ain't poor. I give away things to the Salvation Army. You can't give
away nothing to the Salvation Army if you're poor. —Stan (Henry
Gayle Sanders)

Opening Statement

Charles Burnett shot Killer of Sheep in the early 1970s on a budget of
less than $10,000 as his UCLA thesis project. Filmed in black-and-white 16mm,
Burnett's gritty and naturalistic look at an African-American family in Watts
drew comparisons to post-World War II Italian neo-realist cinema.

Until recently, very few people had the opportunity to see Killer of
Sheep. A deeply personal meditation, Burnett's film sports a haunting and
perfectly employed soundtrack featuring Dinah Washington, Paul Robeson, and
Earth, Wind, and Fire, among other artists. Unfortunately, Burnett hadn't
secured the rights to use this music; consequently, the film could not be shown
commercially. It was presented sporadically at festivals and screenings and
received enough attention that the National Society of Film Critics named it one
of the "100 Essential Films," and it was among the first 50 films
selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film
Registry.

Thirty years after its debut, Killer of Sheep has been rescued from
obscurity. The film was painstakingly restored by the UCLA Film and Television
Archive, and music rights were secured. With a new, 35mm blow-up, the film
premiered at the 2007 Berlinale Film Festival.

Milestone Film & Video gives us a great DVD presentation of this
almost-lost treasure.

Facts of the Case

Stan (Henry Gayle Sanders, Rocky
Balboa) lives with his wife (Kaycee Moore) and two children in Watts in the
early 1970s. Stan works in a slaughterhouse. He is the Killer of Sheep,
and it's not much of a job, or a job he likes, but it is a job, and the bills
get paid. He's not out committing crimes, like some of his friends.

Stan would like more, but he seems to know that's not in the cards. His wife
would also like more—certainly more from Stan, who is distant and
detached.

The Evidence

Killer of Sheep is a film of remarkably crafted moments. It does not
follow the format of a conventional film. There is no plot to speak of, no
forward momentum driven by situations or characters; however, this is not a
self-consciously arty film.

In Killer of Sheep, Burnett gives us a series of vignettes depicting
the everyday world of Stan and his family. Sometimes, these unfold like short
stories, such as an episode in which Stan and a friend go to buy a
"used" (most likely stolen) car motor; sometimes, these are simply
observations—children playing in a run-down vacant lot (scored with Paul
Robeson singing "The House I Live in"), or Stan going about his
business at the slaughterhouse.

Viewed individually, these are images of raw power and beauty, both
startling and mundane. Viewed together, they form a portrait of a place that is
both changing with the times and stagnating, with a central character who is
rooted in this place, but somehow adrift.

We come to understand Stan's malaise, though we are never given any
definitive rationale, and in "movie terms"—particularly, a movie
dealing with poverty—Stan's apathy isn't easy to explain. Stan does not
consider himself poor; he has a job, albeit a demoralizing one. There is no
particular misery in his life. He has friends, his children are healthy, and he
has an attractive and attentive wife. Stan's crisis is of the heart, of the
soul. There is no big moment of revelation, though a small scene near the end
offers hope. This is just life, and life, as they say, goes on.

While Stan is the focal point, perhaps the most heartfelt character is his
wife. She is confounded by Stan's alienation and longs for some warmth, a
response from him, and his touch.

In a quietly devastating sequence, she and Stan slow dance in their living
room to Dinah Washington's "This Bitter Earth." He seems barely
cognizant, but she is passionate and sensuous. She positions his arms around
her, and caresses his back (he is shirtless) and kisses his chest, but she
elicits no response from him. Finally, he steps away, leaving her alone again,
and in voice over, she remembers her childhood. Kaycee Moore's performance is a
perfectly pitched study of longing.

The film is completely different from, but in some ways reminiscent of, two
other independent features dealing with American blacks: John Cassavetes' Shadows and Michael Roemer's Nothing But a
Man. Like Killer of Sheep, these are raw, episodic, music-infused
portraits that comment on the "black experience." Killer of
Sheep is the only one of the three made by a black filmmaker.

Milestone Film & Video gives Killer of Sheep a very strong
release with this two-disc set.

In terms of the image and sound quality, it's important to keep context in
mind when viewing Killer of Sheep. The image looks a bit ragged, with
nicks and speckles, the audio at times sounds muffled, and normally these would
be areas of complaint. But the print of Killer of Sheep was literally
disintegrating when the UCLA Film and Television Archive went to work preserving
it in 2000. Particularly in light of what the preservationists had to work with,
the results are astonishing. This is as close to pristine as this film is going
to be, and the fact that it is technically gritty adds to the experience.

While the audio commentary with Burnett and Richard Peña, Program
Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, is a bit spotty, it is still
essential. We get a history of the film and some insight into Burnett's process;
the best parts, though, are when Burnett points out some of the nuances, things
we might otherwise miss.

In addition to the film, Disc One contains three of Burnett's short films,
which show the artist in different periods of his work. "Several
Friends" (1969) has a kitchen-sink realism and episodic structure similar
to Killer of Sheep. Sad and lovely, "The Horse" (1973), filmed
in color, is more like a short story. "When It Rains" (1995), which
was shot on video, has a completely different look and feel, quirkier and more
upbeat, also simpler.

A "Killer of Sheep Cast Reunion" gives us the present-day
Kaycee Moore front and center; it's hard to imagine this exuberant actress any
place else. This is a nice piece filmed in March of 2007, when the restored film
was presented. A trailer for the Killer of Sheep DVD rounds out this
disc.

Disc Two gives us two versions of Burnett's second feature, My Brother's
Wedding. Far more conventionally scripted and structured than Killer of
Sheep, My Brother's Wedding was shown in a 118-minute
"rough" form in 1983, then shelved for 23 years. Here, we get that
rough cut and a 2007 "Director's Cut," running 81 minutes. My
Brother's Wedding tells the story of a young, lower-middle-class man in
South Central L.A. at a crossroads in his life. With its observations of
struggling working-class people, this is an interesting companion piece to
Killer of Sheep.

Burnett's most recent film, the short "Quiet as Kept" (2007), is
also included on Disc Two.

An eight-page foldout includes an essay from Armond White that examines the
film, puts it in context with other examples of "black cinema," and
takes a few shots at critics who praised the film on its release in March 2007.
A second essay, by film preservationist Ross Lipman, talks about the restoration
of Killer of Sheep.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

In terms of Burnett's work, the differences between the two discs are
striking. While Killer of Sheep is rough, raw, visual, and evocative,
My Brother's Wedding has a more polished low-budget look, but is
dialogue-heavy and awkward. This is not a film of silences, subtleties, or
natural interactions. The problems that existed in the 1983 edition still exist
in the 2007 director's cut, and while excising nearly 40 minutes helps the
pacing, this is overall not that strong a film. It's worth seeing, and it's
interesting academically to compare the two versions and to consider it in terms
of Burnett's development as a filmmaker (his next film was 1990's To Sleep
With Anger), but were it not part of this set, My Brother's Wedding
really wouldn't be a film I'd recommend seeking out.

"Quiet as Kept" is a five-minute, shot-on-video short that Burnett
made as a reaction to the way economically challenged people of color were
treated by FEMA in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Simplistic and didactic, this
preachy PSA bears no resemblance to the director's effective and enigmatic
earlier shorts.

A note on the packaging: It's a cardboard cover and the films are housed in
a cardboard fold out. There are no cases for these discs, they are slipped into
and out of the foldout, which I can't imagine is an especially good way to
preserve the quality of the DVDs. For all the work that went into this set, it's
a shame Milestone didn't go the extra mile and give us sturdier, more
user-friendly packaging.

Closing Statement

Killer of Sheep is an extraordinary film that demands, and rewards,
repeat viewings. Milestone has given us an outstanding package to showcase this
important work that was on the precipice of becoming lost forever. Unqualified
recommendation.